-07-17-05 Ice Shelf Collapse Reveals Extreme Life Forms (MSNBC News) "The collapse of a giant ice shelf in Antarctica has revealed a thriving ecosystem half a mile below the sea." "Despite near freezing and sunless conditions, a community of clams and a thin layer of bacterial mats are flourishing in undersea sediments." "Since light could not penetrate the ice or water, these organisms do not use photosynthesis to make energy. Instead, these extreme creatures get their energy from methane, Domack said today." 7-05 Extreme Life Forms Deep in Oceans (PBS.org) "Almost all deep-sea creatures are bioluminescent -- they create their own light. Biologist Edith Widder discusses this and other tales of life in the deep ocean." 7-05 Water Bear (Microscopy) "Strangely enough, water bears are at the same time among the most unknown and the most fascinating creatures on earth. They have successfully escaped man's exploitation of nature and still can be found almost everywhere on earth. Scientists have reported their existence in hot springs, on top of the Himalayas, under 5 m layers of solid ice and in ocean sediments. Many species can be found in a milder environment like lakes, ponds and meadows, others prefer stone walls and roofs. But their most typical homes are moss cushions." 7-05 Papers An Organism Survives Antarctica, Maybe Mars (Time.com) "Say what you will about the simple, uninteresting lives of microorganisms, they're tough little critters. You try surviving for a million and a half years without heat, food or sunlight and see how you do. A team of National Science Foundation researchers just discovered a species of Antarctic organisms that has accomplished exactly that — and the microbes' unlikely survival can tell us a lot not just about the adaptability of life on Earth, but the prospects for it on Mars." 04-09 Archaea - Life's Extremists (UCMP) Provides an introduction to archaea, living organisms that live in extreme conditions, such as heat, salt, or alkaline, that no other life form can tolerate and that, until recently, were believed to be conditions impossible for life. They also live under "normal" conditions, such as in the oceans. Extreme Forms of Life on Earth (SpaceRef Interactive) Provides sources of information on extreme forms of life deep in the ocean and deep beneath the surface of the earth. Such forms of life, called extremophiles, may exist below the surface of other planets. 8-00 Extreme Forms of Life on Earth (SpaceRef Interactive) Provides sources of information on extreme forms of life deep in the ocean and deep beneath the surface of the earth. Such forms of life, called extremophiles, may exist below the surface of other planets. 8-00 Extremophiles - Frozen Bacterium (CNN News) "A U.S. scientist claims to have thawed out a new life form, which he said raises questions about possible contemporary life on Mars." "The organism froze on Earth some 30,000 years ago, and was apparently alive all that time and started swimming as soon as it thawed, said Richard Hoover from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)'s Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama." "The life form -- a bacterium dubbed Carnobacterium pleistocenium -- probably flourished in the Pleistocene Age, along with woolly mammoths and saber-tooth tigers, said Hoover." 02-05 Extremophiles - Salt-Loving Microbes (CNN News) "Primitive bacteria thrive in extremely salty pockets of water at the bottom of the Mediterranean, European researchers reported on Thursday." "Their finding, published in the journal Science, adds to the number of extreme environments where life has been found, including extremely hot and cold regions and sulfur springs." 01-05 Yellowstone Park's Extremophile Microbes (Time.com) "Yellowstone Park's bizarre steam vents and odiferous boiling pools are more than just tourist attractions and geological curiosities. They are home to unique microbes — living organisms that thrive in extreme heat. More than that, they are valuable resources for industries searching for fresh and big profits." 11-07

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